Tag Archives: How-To

Celeste Longacre has posted an exciting new video showing us how to make probiotic Fruit Kvass! Probiotics is a big buzz word these days, but buying them at the pharmacy is prohibitively expensive. Watch this video to learn how to put together a fruit kvass (full of probiotics) in under three minutes and for pennies!

Patricia interviews Celeste Longacre, author of Celeste Garden Delights. Celeste has been living sustainably for 30 years. She explains the benefits of a garden, eating locally, what to do if space does not permit a garden and so much more!

Purslane is a common garden weed that is probably the most nutritious item in your garden. It originally came from India and escaped into backyards everywhere. It has fourteen times the Omega-3 fatty acids of spinach as well as six times the vitamin E. Its betacarotene levels are seven times higher than carrots. Read More →

Avocados are quite good for us. They are a wonderful fat for our brains and our bodies. One avocado has twice the potassium as a banana and they are also very high in fiber, vitamins K, B5, B6, C and folate. They also help the body absorb fat-soluble nutrients such as the carotenes. Read More →

February is the month to begin planting onions. They are quite easy to grow from seeds if you have a sunny window. Get the best potting soil that you can find (ask at your local nursery) and fill the tray about 2/3 full of it. It’s a good idea to blend in some soil amendments like kelp meal or Azomite powder as well. Read More →

Chickens need a bit of different attention in the winter than they do in the summer. If you live in a cold climate, you must make sure that their water doesn’t freeze and they have the capacity to stay warm. As long as they are free from drafts, chickens can keep themselves warm even in very low temperatures. They fluff up their feathers and huddle next to each other on their roosts. Read More →

It’s important to clean up the garden in the fall. After the first hard frost, most plants will wilt and start to decompose. Getting them out of the vegetable patch and into the compost pile keeps the space clean and helps rid the area of unwanted bugs. Wearing gloves, pull all the plants out by their roots. Use a bucket to transport them to the compost. Any remaining weeds and leaves can also be removed at this time.

Mache is an extremely nutritious green that can be added to salads during the winter months. Here, in the northeastern U.S. where it is cold (and frozen), mache can be grown in a sunny window inside. This vegetable actually likes the cold—it won’t germinate until temperatures stay consistently below 70 degrees F. So it is best to wait until the weather is cold and plant it outside. Read More →